SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT - YEAR A

Readings: First: Is 11, 1-10; Second: Rm 15, 4-9; Gospel: Mt 3, 1-12

Theme of the Readings

It is the Spirit who is present in the liturgical readings and who unifies them, but it is Christ to whom they refer, for whose coming we are preparing and whose arrival we celebrate at Christmas. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on the Messiah, who will renew the throne of Jesse. It is the Messiah who will baptize in the Spirit and with fire. In the last part of his letter to the Romans, St. Paul gives us the example of Christ to imitate, who gave himself to both Jews and pagans alike, and in so doing infused one heart into all. This Pauline letter ends, "May the power of the Holy Spirit fill you with hope." This is a hope imperfectly satisfied at Christmas, but fulfilled at the Second Coming of the Lord.

Doctrinal Message

St. John the Baptist reminds us of a wonderful truth: we have been baptized with the Holy Spirit and with fire. It would do us much good to revive our baptismal spirituality during Advent. In Baptism we have become temples of the Holy Spirit, and we have been enkindled by the fire of the Spirit, which is intimately related to the mission of evangelization. In order to remain temples and fire of the Spirit, there must be constant conversion to the values of the Kingdom, so that now and on Judgment Day we will be grains of wheat, and not chaff to be thrown into the fire.

What are the values of the Kingdom brought by the Messiah to whom men are exhorted to convert? First, there is authentic justice, not based on appearance or hearsay but on rectitude of intention (First Reading). Second, there is genuine peace, made possible by the Messiah who transforms the hearts of men (First reading), uniting Jews and pagans in praise of God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (Second reading). Then there is hope in perseverance and in the consolation of the Scriptures, inspired by the Spirit of God. In Scripture man finds all that God wished to reveal for his salvation (Second reading). Lastly there is a life of fruitfulness, because the tree that does not bear fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. May John the Baptist be our model in life: a man of detachment and austerity in his personal life, relentless preacher of the truth of God and of the need for conversion, precursor of the Messiah, for whom he makes the way straight (Gospel).

Pastoral Suggestions

The best way to prepare for Christmas is to allow oneself to be led by the Holy Spirit. The Sunday liturgy is a good time to imprint on the Christian conscience the very real though invisible action of the Spirit: his presence in the soul through grace, and his efficacy in the development and progress of the spiritual life. It is a good time for all Christians to listen attentively to the voice of the Spirit who speaks to us through the events in our day as well as those of the past, through personal circumstances, including friends and acquaintances, through books, the media, and even nature itself. It is a good time, also, to accept and obey with docility and promptness what the Spirit has inspired. It is the Spirit of God who can best prepare us to understand more fully and to live more intensely the mystery of the incarnation and birth of Jesus Christ.

The values of the Kingdom might surprise us at first. We might consider them too high and too beautiful to be implemented in a society where the values are at times almost diametrically opposed, or at least very different. Nevertheless, those values are not and should never be considered utopian. There are many men and women who already live them, who rule their lives and behavior by them. Think of the many members of the laity, of religious and priests who live holy lives! It is quite likely that many among our own group of faithful have these values and daily exert themselves to renewed conversion. Their efforts must be encouraged. We must foster such values in our environment, in our parish, and in our diocese. We must work with great determination so that all men will be won over by them. To the degree there is a sincere conversion to the values of the Kingdom, to that degree will our environment and our parishes change and improve. It is within the power of every Christian to see that the marvelous values of the Kingdom do not remain utopian.

Source: http://www.clerus.org/clerus/dati/2004-05/21-13/CICLOA.html by P. ANTONIO IZQUIERDO L.C. (1948-2013)

[참고: 이 파일은 저서명 "가톨릭 교회의 말씀 전례에 따른 성경공부 해설서"(엮은이: 소순태, 출판사: 가톨릭출판사)의 각주의 연장으로 마련되었습니다].